EXERCISE 1: WHICH IS THE NEW MEDIA SOLUTION?

For each of the following capstone ideas, identify which solution embodies the “many-to-many” principle, and explain why in one or more paragraphs. Be prepared to read your answer aloud in the next class.

PROBLEM: A DISAPPEARING LANGUAGE

Ian Larson wanted to help preserve the Passamaquoddy language from extinction.

SOLUTION A

Create a taskforce from a select group of Native American language experts, and ask them to write down a dictionary of words and their definitions. Enter these definitions into a database and build a Web site that allows anyone to search for terms and hear their pronunciation. Hire a high-profile Web designer and marketing firm to ensure that as many people as possible learn about this resource.

SOLUTION B

Distribute laptops with video cameras to schoolkids in the Passamaquoddy community, and ask them to record their grandparents telling stories in Passamaquoddy. Upload these to a Web site along with the grandparents’ definitions of particular words used in the story, and make these words searchable via a tag cloud.

I would say it is probably solution B, they both are many-to-many solutions but I think B does a better job in a couple of ways. Solution B focuses more on using technology to crowdsource rather than relying on certain individuals to collect the data. Solution B also does a lot better job automated aggregating and visualizing the data. The solution to use the grandparents as a source of the data through video is probably the better visualization for this database. It covers pretty much everything which makes a technology many-to-many and seems like it could be an effective solution.

PROBLEM: NEGLECTED RUINS

Evan Habeeb wanted to make people aware of the beauty of abandoned buildings.

SOLUTION A

Assemble a film crew and visit abandoned homes, factories, and other buildings. Bring lights to illuminate these spaces dramatically, and record ambient sounds like dripping water. Edit the footage onto a DVD to create a compelling account that documents these relics for posterity, and distribute copies to historical societies across the state for their collections.

SOLUTION B

Build a Web site that allows adventurers to print stickers they can leave behind in abandoned buildings they explore. Create the stickers so they can be scanned by mobile phones to reveal a Web site built to feature photographs taken by those explorers.

While solution A seems like it would be a more reasonable solution to the issue stated, solution B is definitely the more many-to-many solution.  A provides a solution that would do a much better job bringing awareness to people who are in the dark, but B does a much better job with many aspects of a many-to-many technology. B does a really good job mobilizing people, making people DIY, crowdsourcing the job, connecting and distributing information which was previously inaccessible. 

PROBLEM: MISUNDERSTANDING COMPUTER ANIMATION

Ryan Schaller and Jason Walker wanted to help people understand the many layers required to create a computer-animated film, including wireframe, textures, and light effects. As a case study, they created an animation depicting a cartoon archeologist digging for ancient artifacts.

SOLUTION A

Design and build a touch-screen interface that allows viewers to “rub” away layers of the film with their hands to reveal previous stages of the animation as it plays.

SOLUTION B

Create an iPad application that documents each stage of the animation process, using stills from the archeologist film as illustrations. Explain techniques such as ray tracing, motion capture, and morphing. Include links to companies that create animation software such as Autodesk.

Neither of these solutions does a very good job considering the many-to-many strategies within their solution. Both of these solutions are heavily focused on limited interaction between the user and other individuals. Rather they are focused on teaching the individual through a previously established database.  A major way to help both of these solutions may be to include more crowdsourced information. 

PROBLEM: A BROKEN FOUNTAIN

Danielle Gagner wanted to renovate the waterfall fountain under the skylight in the middle of the University Union, which had fallen into disrepair.

SOLUTION A

Repurpose the existing plumbing to irrigate a garden planted in the former fountain. Research the types of plants that would grow well together at different levels of the fountain, and meet with dining hall staff to find out what herbs or vegetables they might add to salads and other offerings. Then plant these in collaboration with the sustainable agriculture club on campus, and invite students to pick the resulting parsley, strawberries, and another fare from the garden for their lunch.

SOLUTION B

Use Google Image Search to download photographs of natural bodies of water such as streams, rivers, and the ocean. Combine these with nature footage from sources like National Geographic and the Discovery Channel to create a multichannel video installation that projects images of flowing water and rippling waves onto the fountain, which has been covered with theatrical screening. Supplement the moving images with the sound of a babbling brook emanating from surround-sound speakers mounted on the ceiling.

I said solution A was the more many to many solutions here. Solution B doesn’t provide back in anyways really and lacks all the benefits that solution A brings. Solution A uses relating aspects of the community to integrate certain elements in a more productive manner. The idea of using a decoration as a sustainable farm is a very progressive idea and is much more of a many to many approaches than solution B. 

EXERCISE 2: INVENT YOUR OWN MANY-TO-MANY SOLUTIONS

Pick one of the following problems and brainstorm a solution that embodies a many-to-many approach. Describe your solution in two or more paragraphs and be prepared to read it aloud in the next class.

STOCK PHOTOGRAPHS COST TOO MUCH

How can you help designers discover and download high-resolution images for their layouts?

Editors and other artists are constantly in search of high-quality stock photos which they can use in their work free of charge. It’s one of the most frustrating issues when looking for a certain photo and doesn’t have many current solutions to this day. The market for this is driven by the profits companies are able to make by owning all the rights to stock photos. 

For this issue, I propose a solution that would involve a database or application for photographers and artists of all levels. This database would be free to access at the base level and would be a collection of user-submitted photos. For an incentive to create and share photos, I was thinking this database would have a section of photos that are only available to those who have submitted a certain amount of photos. This would cause users to submit photos in order to access better photos, therefore creating a large database of quality stock images.